Shake

A recovering alcoholic, his increasingly unhinged best friend, his actress girlfriend and her enigmatic female lover contend with the challenges presented by a post-9/11 environment. Shake happens backwards, exploring loss, denial and hope from hindsight.

Hiwa Bourne and Joe Egender in Shake at Theatre of NOTE.Photo by Kiff Scholl

Reviews

Whether we like it or not, the events of September 11th, 2001, are a permanent part of our cultural consciousness. That date, unlike any other in recent history, represents the sharpest division in our timeline – the way things were before, and the way they’ve been since. Indeed, the subject is so charged with inchoate emotion and unutterable loss that few attempts to quantify it artistically have succeeded. Hollywood’s Theater of NOTE, however, has again proven itself a major force in urban storytelling with what may stand among the most impressive theatrical responses to 9/11. Shake, the new play from scribe Joshua Fardon, offers that most elusive and precious balm – human truth.In August of 2002, Bill (Joe Egender) encounters his erstwhile lover Peggy (Alina Phelan) on a street in Manhattan. Their tentative reunion soon reveals that Peggy’s life is in tatters – after planting a cherry bomb in her acting coach’s mailbox and getting evicted from her apartment, she now lives homeless in the park. Bill, exhausted and jittery, is looking for his former AA buddy who has recently vanished. From there the play moves backward, gradually revealing in twelve mini acts (one for each month) the events that lead up to the first scene. The final act, titled “September 10, 2001,” is the most poignant of all, as we already know where the characters will be a year later.Shake doesn’t tell the story of 9/11 through the eyes of selfless heroes. The men and women we follow are deeply flawed, troubled, and self-destructive. But their humanity, with all its concomitant warts and missteps, is the very thing we need to make sense of our own pain. Masterful direction and an extraordinary cast further propel the production into a wholly rewarding theater-going experience. An essential addition to this summer’s calendar.The Tolucan TimesThe play is never melodramatic nor does it try to use the events of September 11th to vie for pathos. Lives have been changed, and the affects are apparent, but playwright Joshua Fardon concentrates on peeling back the layers meticulously to uncover truths. Each scene divulges new pieces of information and maintains spontaneity with a hint of mystery as the months are recalled.LA Theatre Review

Provocative, engaging, funny, and frequently riveting, Shake is likely to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish—and give you plenty to talk about and reflect on long after its final blackout.StageSceneLA ...a fascinating exercise...the very able Fardon has built an intriguing deconstruction of events...clever, often very funny, dialogue.... And what a payoff when we meet Julia, the acting teacher who could give lessons on torture to terrorists..."Shake" contains interesting ideas and graceful writing.

Backstage

Productions

Shake was produced by Theatre of NOTE in 2010. The show was directed by Kiff Scholl.Cast: Troy Blendell, Hiwa Bourne, Bridgette Campbell, Alana Dietze, Joe Egender, Michelle Gardner, Linda Graves, Alina Phelan.Shake was workshopped at The Elephant Theatre in October 2007. The show was directed by Joshua Fardon. Cast: Jillian Bach, Paul Bartholomew, John Harrington Bland, Kathleen Dennehy, Stacey Jackson, Deeann Newkirk, Stephanie Venditto.A ten minute excerpt from Shake entitled Peggy and Claire was presented by the Yo!Yo! Theatre Company in Los Angeles, 2005. The play was directed by Joshua Fardon. Cast: Kathleen Dennehy, Pamela Gray.

Characters

CLAIRE – mid 30’s, assertive and hungry looking, with something haunted about her.PEGGY – in her mid-thirties and cute, goes through weight fluctuations and early pregnancy. BILL – mid-thirties, sometimes unable to hide his addictive personality.MATTHEW – in his mid thirties with thinning blonde hair and manic energy.JULIA ARBUCK – an acting teacher with the intimidating air of a pedagogue who has destroyed as many young souls as she has fostered.STORMY – early forties, tight lipped and tight strung. The Human Resources Manager at the company which employs (and fires) Claire and Peggy.BELINDA – early 20s, beautiful, aggressive with her sexuality.ROBIN – attractive, married to Matthew – missing since Sept. 11, 2001.

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